Skylar Anderson, Sr., Fairview: The cog that makes the Knights go in the midfield. With a sure defense, it will be on Anderson to find ways to create scoring chances.

Gracie Armstrong, Sr., Legacy: Scored 25 times last season, and doing that in the Front Range League is a chore.

Alicia Cardenas, Jr. Erie: Returns to a Tigers team that has aspirations of making the programs deepest playoff run.

Jordan Deger, Sr., Peak to Peak: The Pumas defender anchored a defense that allowed just 15 goals all season and was instrumental in their run to the 3A title game last year.

Alexis Gaffney, Sr., Legacy: An All-Region selection last year for a Lightning defense that will be even better this year.

Mira Houck, Jr., Jefferson Academy: Don't let the 3A moniker fool you, Houck is one of the regions best players regardless of classification.

Anna Maher, Sr., Mead: One of the Mavericks best all-around female athletes, Maher will give it one last go to try and get the Mavs to the playoffs.

Kalen Niedling, Sr., Skyline: Hasn't lost a step since her freshman year and in the Falcons' Dutch-style approach to the game, her speed is an asset all over the field.

Hailey Stodden, Sr.: Broomfield: Reigning BoCoPreps.com Player of the Year has been called by coach Jim Davidson "the best player I've ever coached."

Advertisement

Emma Sudbeck, Sr., Longmont: Will be the anchor of the Trojans defense that has visions of returning to the playoffs after a one year hiatus.

POSTSEASON INFORMATION

Regular season for all classifications ends May 5, and the CHSAA will announce seeded brackets on May 6. Single-elimination tournaments run from May 8-23, with the championship games to be played May 22 (Class 2A and 3A) and May 23 (Class 4A and 5A) at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City.

Outlook: Building off of last season — the first one under Real's tenure — the Panthers want to continue establishing a solid and promising program-wide culture that's defined by teamwork. Real will lean on this year's varsity veterans to lead the way and to incorporate some very solid new players to the program. "From what we could see in the preseason, this year's team seems to be very solid in all lines, with a much improved understanding of the system and even greater chemistry on and off the field," Real said.

Outlook: Said Davidson, whose team starts No. 4 in the preseason CHSAA poll: "With eight returning starters and 16 returning varsity players, we have our goals set at the very height of state competition. We have a great combination of speed, athleticism, and technical ability that should allow us to play an encouraging brand of attacking and possession soccer."

Outlook: Centaurus will rely on a balanced team approach to challenge for a top league position and a competitive run in the post season. The team will be an interesting mix of experienced returning starters and several promising, relatively new additions. They will be very careful to avoid the late season dip in form that cost them a playoff spot last season.

Outlook: Said Criswell: "The goal is to earn our way back to 2A finals while continuing to build and develop our team culture. With eight returning starters driven to continue the success we experienced last year, plus a talented and smart group of new players, I believe we have the potential to be just as competitive as last season. There is some building to do in the back and midfield to replace last year's seniors, but we're seeing players starting to step up and fill in those roles."

ERIE TIGERS

Coach: Jeff Vigil (1st season).

Last year: 11-5 overall, 5-2 Tri-Valley League; Lost 4-3 to Niwot in first round of Class 4A state tournament.

Outlook: Experienced attack with capability of being pretty explosive. Lots of freshmen and sophomores compliment the juniors and seniors that return to make up a young roster overall. Erie soccer has only been around for four years, there is a lot of excitement and energy adding to an already thriving athletic program. Said Vigil: "The girls made it to the state playoffs last year, but we look to make some noise in this year's post season. We have had a positive start with a good first week of training, and the players are being challenged to be a cohesive unit and a team that gets better everyday."

FAIRVIEW KNIGHTS

Coach: Jeff Frykholm (2nd season).

Last year: 13-5 overall, 9-3 Front Range League; Lost 4-1 to Broomfield in quarterfinals of Class 5A state tournament.

Outlook: The Knights return a key group of core players, including All-League first team selection Skylar Anderson, and four experienced defenders from last year's back line. How quickly the eight sophomore players on the roster acclimate to the rigors of the Front Range League is a key question for Fairview, who must depend on some younger players to supplement the existing group of veterans.

Outlook: Said Doehring: "We graduated our leading scorer but return nine starters. We have a strong senior class and hope to improve from last year. I see a big year from Shelby Smotzer and Shea Chavez in helping to find the goals we lost from last year. We returned our entire defense and midfield from last year and we are looking to turn a few close games in our favor."

HOLY FAMILY TIGERS

Coach: Michelle Griego-Giron (1st season).

Last year: 7-9 overall, 6-1 Tri-Valley League; Lost 5-1 to Littleton in first round of Class 4A state tournament.

Outlook: With a new coaching staff comes a new outlook for the Tigers who look to build their identity as a program. Said Griego-Giron: "We have strong veteran leadership and a promising group of young talent who will be tested with a very competitive schedule. Our goals this season are to stay healthy, improve on our overall record from last year, chase a league championship and make some noise in the state playoffs."

JEFFERSON ACADEMY JAGUARS

Coach: Denis Sutton (6th season).

Last year: 15-2-1 overall, 8-1 Metro League; Lost 2-1 to Peak to Peak in semifinals of Class 3A state tournament.

Outlook: Said Sutton, whose team starts the season at No. 5 in the CHSAA Class 3A preseason poll: "With a number of returning starters we hope to again make it to the postseason. We again will face some very tough teams in the Metro league but feel the maturity of the squad will benefit us in those tight competitions."

LEGACY LIGHTNING

Coach: Luke Meadows (4th season).

Last year: 15-3 overall, 10-2 Front Range League; Lost 4-1 to Mountain Vista in quarterfinals of Class 5A state tournament.

Outlook: Any team losing 11 players from the previous year might have cause for concern. But Legacy returns the majority of their scoring, both goals and assists, and there is a strong belief that the team will be even stronger from top to bottom than last year's campaign, with girls who have been hungry for their chance, and clearly have the talent. The goals are high and a Front Range League title is the new target for this year.

Outlook: The Trojans are going to take one game at a time and focus on an offensive attack. Said DiGialonardo, whose team missed the playoffs last season: "We have a lot of returning players this season that have the hunger to play hard and win."

Outlook: The Mavericks are looking to improve on their record this year with a good group of core players and a surge of young talent. Said Adler: "We are excited for the season and look forward to representing our school."

MONARCH COYOTES

Coach: Troy Tewalt (1st season).

Last year: 7-9 overall, 6-6 Front Range League; Lost 1-0 to Ralston Valley in first round of Class 5A state tournament.

Outlook: The Cougars return a lot of the pieces of the team that won the Northern League last season. Allie Colvin and Kenzie Pasma lead a strong defense that returns every starter. Standout forward Anna McCarthy will lead an offense that will feature a lot of new faces. Controlling possession and the pace of the game is the Cougars' main goal this year.

PEAK TO PEAK PUMAS

Coach: Mark Schieffer (1st season).

Last year: 15-3-1 overall, 7-1-1 Metro League; Lost 1-1 (4-3 in PKs) to The Academy in Class 3A championship game.

Outlook: Said Scheiffer: "One of the team's main goals this year is to win the 3A state title after losing in PKs in the final last year. This will be a big challenge as more than 60 percent of the goals scored last year came from three seniors lost to graduation and two players out for this season (one developmental academy, one knee surgery). Five seniors and seven juniors return to form an experienced, balanced squad. Emily Dee serves as captain again this year, with Jordan Deger (2017 3A first team All-State) and Emma Shepherd (second team) providing strength through the spine of the team."

Outlook: Said Schoeder: "We are still a very new program and this will be our first season with a full class (freshmen through senior). With eight returning starters and a new influx of players, our season goal is to finish in the top half of the Metro league conference with a .500 record or better and secure a position in the state playoffs."

Outlook: Said Chavez: "We continue to work on our core values, respect, discipline, integrity, determination, perseverance, empathy, etc., etc., all with the intent to continue to improve the quality of our program resulting in each individual becoming a better human being and a better athlete."

The Boulder alt-country band gives its EPs names such as Death and Resurrection, and its songs bear the mark of hard truths and sin. But the punk energy behind the playing, and the sense that it's all in good fun, make it OK to dance to a song like "Death." Full Story